Providing a clean source of air for an animal in a towed vehicle is a problem that has been known for many years. Horses, for example, are normally transported to and from competitive racing events in horse floats that are not very well ventilated or are too exposed to harmful exhaust emissions from the towing vehicle.
It is well known that, particularly on long journeys, prolonged exposure to exhaust fumes, soot particles and gases such as carbon monoxide from the towing vehicle and to airborne pollutants from other sources affects the horse and will have a significant detrimental impact on the horse's level of comfort and health, as well as its subsequent competitive performance. This is particularly pronounced on long, straight highways and on windless days, where horse floats travel within an envelope of noxious fumes and suspended particles that blanket the entire roadway.
Horse floats are known to be provided with windows, louvers, or vents, but these are only capable of admitting ambient air with whatever contaminants are present in that ambient air.
No apparatus or methods of the prior art are known that can efficiently and reliably purify air entering a horse float.